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What gift warms the cockles of job seekers' hearts even more than a sweater? A title or two from our list of great career books for 2006:
The Elements of Resume Style
by Scott Bennett
Does that special job seeker in your life really need another resume-writing guide? Yes, if he's looking for concise advice (119 pages) on the nuts and bolts of preparing this make-or-break document. Bennett covers everything from typographical choices (serif fonts get a better response) to the attitude the seeker projects.
Monster Careers: Interviewing
by Jeff Taylor with Doug Hardy
Many books on interviewing stop short of excellence by overemphasizing individuals' questions and how to answer them. Taylor and Hardy's guide goes much further, helping job seekers understand how to prepare for an interview by putting it into the context of contemporary hiring techniques. "What Were They Thinking" sidebars leaven the text with interviewee bloopers.
Be Happy at Work: 100 Women Who Love Their Jobs, and Why
by Joanne Gordon
The career shelves at your local bookstore could use fewer shouters ("Annihilate Your Boss to Succeed!!!") and more journalists. Gordon, a contributing editor for Forbes, gives 100 glowing examples of women who make themselves happy with their work -- from a chef at the South Pole to the CEO of Ogilvy & Mather -- in crisp prose, with extended quotes from the workers throughout.
A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age
by Daniel Pink
Pink, best known as the author of Free Agent Nation, turns his formidable emotional and intellectual intelligence to a new theory: That the right-brained will inherent the workplace. This former chief speechwriter for Al Gore argues that the metaskills of the 21st-century knowledge worker are design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning. A fun, useful read.
Essential Managers Series
by various authors
What are the best gifts for loved ones who double as corporate titans? The pint-sized monographs in DK Publishing's Essential Managers series, of course -- all presented in easily digestible information chunks and a pleasing graphical format. Titles include Making Presentations, Communicate Clearly and Managing Budgets.
Harvard Business Review on Managing Yourself
by various authors
If you can manage yourself, you can take your career practically anywhere. That's the premise of this Harvard Business School Press collection of essays by esteemed business writers, from Edward Hallowell ("Overloaded Circuits: Why Smart People Underperform") to the late, great Peter Drucker ("Managing Oneself").
Made in China: What Western Managers Can Learn from Trailblazing Chinese Entrepreneurs
by Donald Sull with Yong Wang
The jury's out on whether this will turn out to be the Chinese century, but the world's most populous nation is certainly the dynamo of the decade. Sull, who teaches at London Business School, delves deep into eight Chinese businesses to demonstrate how they've been successful in tumultuous domestic and international markets -- providing important lessons for professionals around the world.
The World Is Flat
by Thomas Friedman
China isn't the only nation displacing thousands of American workers and creating opportunity for adventurous, savvy folks worldwide. Three-time Pulitzer winner Friedman takes readers on a tour of the new global economy, a single playing field that may be closer to level than ever. Want to understand which US jobs are less likely to be offshored? Start your study here.
Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream
by Barbara Ehrenreich
Is there a job seeker on your list who's preparing to ditch her long-time, well-compensated job out of sheer boredom? This book could be the slap in the face that prevents her from such a rash decision. Ever-droll Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, chronicles the diverse humiliations of her faux search for a white-collar job.
Thriving on Vague Objectives: A Dilbert Collection
by Scott Adams
No job search is bearable without comic relief. This collection of most of Adams's 2005 syndicated strips gives yet another sharp elbow to the corporate workplace -- in all its dysfunctional glory.
